He and his brother Jason recently launched Legal Shred, a mobile service that provides one-time purges or regularly scheduled document destruction on- or off-site for individuals and businesses. The company also destroys all types of X-ray film, hard drives and media, including CDs, DVDs and microfiche.

"Customers can actually see their documents being destroyed rather than just handing them over," Sean Fredericks said. "It's a much more secure process. We have cameras mounted inside the truck and a monitor on the side, so everything can be observed curbside."

Or, if a customer prefers, the pair will pick up materials and haul them away in locked containers to be shredded at the company's secure location. Once that's done, they provide a document of destruction and recycle the remains in Tampa, where they are pulped.

Sean Fredricks, 35, formerly owned a shredding company called Code Shred in Long Island, N.Y, which he sold to Cintas in 2010. He worked as a consultant for Cintas for about a year, oversaw the closing of his business and moved to Apollo Beach to be closer to his family, all of whom live in South Shore communities.

He and Jason, 37, incorporated Legal Shred last year, then spent $250,000 to purchase a 24-foot document-shredding truck, which pierces and tears as much as 8,000 pounds of paper an hour. The company began providing service in April.

Things are progressing well, Sean Fredricks said. Although home base is Hillsborough County, the company already has clients in Charlotte, Pinellas, Sarasota, Polk and Manatee counties as well.

"Right now we're looking for a couple of really large businesses, like a hospital, medical center, financial institution or law firm to add to our customer base," Fredricks said. "Competition is much heavier here and there is more relationship building required, but it's much easier and less expensive to do business. We know it will take time."

Pricing is based on the frequency of the job, which can be daily, weekly, monthly or annually, and the size and number of containers the customer chooses, he said. For one-time purges, there's a minimum fee of $49.95, and the company offers monthly service starting at $19.95.

"Our service is fast, efficient and secure," Fredricks said. "We can shred 10 boxes of documents in three minutes. You don't have to remove metal clips or binders. There's no breaking or jamming or wait."

Legal Shred is a member of the South Shore and Brandon chambers of commerce.